In conventional hematological laboratory analyses, there is widespread use of Coombs control cells to determine the presence of active anti-human sera. The Coombs control cells are used to check the activity of Coombs sera, whereby hemagglutination provided what was generally regarded as a positive asurance of the presence of such activity. However it has been determined that agglutination of red blood cells could be induced by the presence of other materials other than active anti-human sera. Such other materials included the presence of protein molecules, such as albumin. Thus the Coombs control cell while giving positive results, lack the desired specifity to discriminate between active anti-human sera induced agglutination and agglutination induced by the presence of other materials.
It was also reported by Fudenberg et al, in "Serological Studies with Proeolytic Antibody Fragments and `Hybrid` Andibodies" Vox Sang. 9:14(1964), that certain antibody fragments did not agglutinate red cells coated with or containing homologous antigens.
There is now provided by this present invention new reagent control cells which provide the specifity now absent in the Coombs control cells.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide improved hematological control cells, and the method of preparing same as well as the method of using same.
It is another object of the invention to provide antiglobulin control cells in which the positive result of hemagglutination is positive assurance of the presence of only active anti-human sera.
It is still another object of this invention to provide an accurate assurance of reagent integrity of the present control cells as well as of reagent anti-human sera (e.g. Coombs sera).
It is a further object of this invention to provide improved antiglobulin control cells which may be readily manufactured and extensively employed in several hematological tests.
The aforesaid as well as other objects and advantages will become apparent from a reading of the following specifications and the adjoined claims.